The Names of the Moons and Their Meanings No moons. Venus Roman name for Aphrodite, goddess of love and sex. I don't know why our sister planet got this name. Maybe because its exceedingly dense clouds shroud it in mystery, and the ancients felt that that appropriately describes women and love. No moons. Earth Known in Greek myth as Gaea (thus fun words like "geography"), Terra to the Romans ("terracing"). The word "earth" comes from Middle English, Old English, and eventually Indo-European, making it a very old word, but with no fun story behind it. It just means dirt. One Moon with many Greek and Roman appelations, few of which are still used today. Some common ones are Luna, Cynthia, Selene, Diana, Hecate... "Moon" again comes from Old English and Indo-European. Mars Roman name for Ares, god of war. In Greek myth he was a coward and whiner, but was idealized and idolized by the bellicose Romans. The planet acquired the name because of its obviously red hue (blood planet and all that). Two moons: Deimos (Greek for "fear") and Phobos ("fright").

Named after Ares's sons, who were said to often accompany him in battle. No mother takes responsibility for these dreadful children. Jupiter Roman name for Zeus, king of the gods. He was quite a player. Most of its many, many moons were names after his lovers. Io Zeus turned her into a white heifer to hide from Hera, his jealous wife, but was discovered and relentlessly tormented with a gadfly--an ancestor of Heracles. Europa Seduced by Zeus in the form of a handsome bull, who then carried her off over the sea to Crete. The story is that she eventually populated the country and is where we get "Europe." Ganymede Handsome young mortal man whom Zeus abducted to serve as his cupbearer, superceding Hebe, his daughter by Hera. Callisto Another unfortunate lover of Zeus who was transformed by Hera into a bear along with her son. To make up for it, Zeus placed them in the sky to become Ursa Major (Big Dipper) and Ursa Minor (Little Dipper).

Amalthea The goat that fed Zeus as a babe on Crete Himalia A Cyprian nymph who bore Zeus three sons, including Cronius Elara Another lover; to hide her from Hera, he placed her under the earth, where she gave birth to the giant Tityas. Pasiphae Wife of King Minos who was punished for her husband's insult to Poseidon by being forced to fall in love with a bull. With the help of Daedelus, the famous inventor, she contrived a cow costume so she could have relations with the bull. She eventually gave birth to the Minotaur; heaven knows that this has to do with Zeus. Sinope Abducted by Apollo and became mother of Syrus, for whom the city was named; again no relation to Zeus, but still a mortal lover of a god. Lysithea Daughter of Oceanus and lover of Zeus. Carme An obscure lover of Zeus; they produced Britomartis, a Cretan goddess. Ananke As the goddess of unalterable necessity, she was the mother of the Fates, and with Zeus as the father, also produced Adrasteia, distributor of rewards and punishment.

Leda On the same day, she had sex with her husband and was raped by Zeus in the form of a swan. Eventually she gave birth to Castor, Polydeucus, Clytemnestra, and Helen (as in "of Troy"). One can only assume that since Polydeucus shares his father's immortality, that one of the sisters must as well. And since Clytemnestra's death was well documented at the hands of her son Orestes, that leaves Helen. This is never mentioned in any myth that I know of, but I find it very entertaining. Metis Her name means "cleverness." Zeus was told that a son from Metis would destroy him, so he swallowed her up to prevent such a possiblity. Not long after, he developed a raging headache and asked Hephesteus to crack open his skull, thus releasing Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Adrastea Mentioned above as Zeus's and Ananke's daughter, the goddess of unalterable necessity. Known to the Romans as "Nemesis." Thebe Zeus's daughter by a Boeotian nymph named Iodame; in other stories, a lover of Zeus.

Callirrhoe None of the three Callirrhoe's in Greek myth had anything to do with Zeus. 1. An Oceanid (daughter of Oceanus--there were lots). 2. Wife of Alcmaeon, who acquired a magic robe and necklace as her request, under the pretense of dedicating them at Delphi. When the original owners learned of the ruse, they killed Alcmaeon. Callirrhoe begged the gods to make her two sons into men immediately to avenge their father, which was granted. They killed their father's murderer and dedicated the robe and necklace to Delphi after all. 3. Woman wooed by Coresus, the priest of Bacchus. When she denied him, Bacchus sent madness among her people, which an oracle said could only be lifted if Callirrhoe were sacrifed. Her ex-suitor Coresus was about to do the deed, but turned the knife against himself instead. She was so touched by his act that she killed herself in return, thus making his sacrifice perfectly meaningless. Dolt.

Themisto Not a very pleasant lady; she tried to kill her husband's first wife's children by dressing her own children in white and the victims in black so they could be distinguished in the dark, but the first wife switched the clothes and Themisto ended up killing her own children by mistake. Kalyke Iocaste Also known as Jocasta, the mother and eventual wife of Oedipus, who killed herself upon learning her second husband's identity. Erinome Possibly related to the Erinyes (the Furies), who exacted retribution for particularly evil deeds like patricide. Harpalyke I don't know of a figure in mythology with this name, but the Greek word means something like "greedy, devouring, alluring, attractive." It could refer to the Harpies, nasty bird-women who punished people, took their souls to the underworld, and were personifications of storms. They also stole and befouled King Phineus's food so that he nearly starved to death, until they were driven away by the Boreads. Isonoe Praxidike "She who exacts penalties," a goddess represented with a bare head, to whom the heads of victims were offered.

Megaclite Greek for "much inflicted"??? I don't know. Taygete Another unfortunate woman whom Zeus took an interest in; she prayed to Artemis to rescue her and was turned her into a doe. Zeus took advantage of her anyway and she gave birth to Lacedaemon. Chaldene Autonoe Mother of Acteone, who was turned into a stag and torn apart by his own hounds as punishment for accidentally seeing Artemis nakes. That goddess could be a real bitch sometimes. Thyone (Originally names Semele, was the lover of Zeus and mother of Dionysus. Hera tricked her into asking Zeus to show himself in his full glory to her, thus burning her up into a small pile of ash. When Dionysus became a god, he retrieved her from the underworld and made her a goddess, renaming her Thyone) Hermippe Euporie Aitne Saturn Roman name for Cronos, father of Zeus and most of the pantheon. Knowing that one of his children would eventually kill him, he swallowed them each at birth. Zeus was spirited away by his mother, who gave her husband a stone in his place.

When Zues was grown, he killed his father and freed his siblings from Daddy's gut. For some reason, many of Saturn's moons are named for non-Classical myth characters. Apparnetly, Chronos didn't have nearly as many naughty stories from which names could be drawn as his son Zeus. Titan Children of Gaea and Uranus, Titans were the masters of the earth before the pantheon gods were born. Chronos was a Titan, and his son Zeus defeated him and his siblings with the help of his own siblings, thus becoming the king of the gods. Rhea A Titan, sister and wife of Cronos. Iapetus Another son of Uranus and Gaea, he and his wife produced Atlas, Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus Dione A Titaness; in some stories, she is the mother of Aphrodite by Zeus Tethys Mother of Rhea, personification of the fertile ocean. She and her brother Oceanus produced 3000 children, who became the rivers, lakes, springs, etc. of the world. Enceladus One of the hundred-armed Giants (children of Uranus and Gaea) defeated by Zeus and his siblings.

Mimas Another giant, this one killed by Heracles. Hyperion A Titan who sired Helios (sun), Selene (moon), and Eos (dawn) Prometheus Son of Iapetus, his name means "forethought." He endlessly took the side of mortal humans against the gods, giving them the divine fire, showing them how to trick the gods into accepting an inferior sacrifice, etc. In punishment, Zeus chained him to a rock, where his liver was eaten out by an eagle every day until Heracles killed the bird and freed him. Pandora Means "all-gifted." To keep mortal humans from getting too uppity, Zeus devised a woman, perfect in all ways except for insatiable curiosity, and gave her a box with instruction never to open it. Of course she did, and thus unleased all the world's evils, like hunger, sorrow, greed, etc. She finally slammed the box closed, successfully saving Hope, the only thing that makes all these trials bearable.

Pheobe Titaness who became the mother of Leto (mother of the divine twins Artemis and Apollo, both of whom took on the appellation at times: Artemis Phoebe and Apollo Pheobus) Janus The two-faced Roman god of transitions: bridges, doors, coming-of-age, beginnings and endings. We get the word January from him. Epimetheus Brother of Prometheus, his name means "afterthought." The unfortunate husband of Pandora, whom he married despite his wiser brother's warnings. Helene An Amazon warrior who was fated to meet Achilles in battle. After she wounded him, he plunged a sword into her breast and fell in love with her at the same time. Achilles is an idiot like that. Telesto A sea nymph, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Calypso A sea nymph who took a liking to Odysseus on his way home to Icatha. She kept him on her little island for 7 years before Zeus forced her to release him. Atlas Son of a Titan, was punished for fighting against Zeus by being forced to carry the world on his shoulders. Pan Half-goat son of Hermes (Mercury) who plays pipes and is tricksy.

His bellow was known to strike unreasoning fear in men's hearts. We get words like "panic" and "pandemonium" from him. Ymir Norse progenitor of giants and humans. The gods killed him for producing evil giants and used his body to create heaven and earth. In death, his body created dwarves. Paaliaq Tarvos A bull-god from Gaul Kiviuq Ijiraq Thrym King of the frost giants in Norse mythology, his name means "uproar." He rules Jotunheim. Skadi Another frost Giantess, she was the Norse personification of winter. To appease her for her father's murder, the gods allowed her to choose one of them for a husband, but only by looking at their feet. Mundilfari A Norse Giant who angered the gods by naming his beautiful children Mani (moon) and Sol (sun); the children were then forced to guide the chariots of their namesakes. Erriapo Albiorix Means "king of the world," and is another name for the ancient Gallic god Teutates.

He was god of war, fertility, and wealth (pretty much everything there is to be god of), and approved to human sacrifices. Equivilent to Mars/Ares. Suttung A Norse Giant who stole the mead of poetry from the dwarves that made it from Kvasir's blood, and hid it in a mountain. Odin heard his boasting and managed to get it all for himself. Uranus the god of the sky; the first son of Gaea, as well as her husband. They produced the Titans, the Giants, and other pre-pantheon gods and creatures. All of Uranus's moons are named for Shakespeare characters, which is too bad, because there were plenty of Titans and monsters associated with him that could have been used. Portia Either the rich heiress in Merchant of Venice , or Brutus's wife in Julius Caesar . Rosalind (As You Like It) Belinda From Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock. What, did they run out of Shakespeare characters so soon?? Puck Mischievious sprite, sidekick of Oberon, King of the Fairies.

He does all Oberon's naughty work, like making mortals fall in love with each other and turning men's heads into donkeys'. (Misummer Night's Dream) Miranda Daughter of Prospero, a magician/Duke stranded on a distant island. She falls in love with the first human male she sees who isn't her father. (The Tempest) Ariel A sprite enslaved to Prospero and supposedly happy about it. Propsero rescued him from a tree trunk, where Sycorax (local evil witch) had trapped him. (The Tempest) Umbriel "A dusky, melencholy sprite" from Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock. Titania Queen of the Fairies, estranged wife of Oberon. Falls in love with a donkey-headed man due to Puck's trickeries. (Misummer Night's Dream) Oberon King of the Fairies, husband of Titania. He's mad at her because he wants the beautiful little Indian prince for HIS entourage and she won't give him up. (Misummer Night's Dream) Caliban A malevolent, resentful creature, also enslaved by Prospero. Son of Sycorax, Evil Witch(tm).

(The Tempest) Sycorax The evil witch herself. Defeated by Prospero on his arrival. (The Tempest) Prospero A magician/Duke of Milan who was stranded on a remote island and took the place over. (The Tempest) Setebos Evil god worshipped by evil witch Sycorax. (The Tempest) Stephano Drunken butler from the recently ship-wrecked ship, friend of Triculo and comedic relief (The Tempest) Triculo Jester, friend of Stephano and comedic relief (The Tempest) Neptune Roman name for Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes, brother to Zeus (Jupiter) and Hades (Pluto). The planet probably got the name because it's blue. Planet Uranus: Facts About Its Name, Moons and Orbit Planet Uranus: Facts About Its Name, Moons and Orbit By Charles Q. Choi, Space.com Contributor | November 18, 2014 09:17pm ET MORE Uranus’ tilt essentially has the planet orbiting the Sun on its side, the axis of its spin is nearly pointing at the Sun. Credit: NASA and Erich Karkoschka, U.

of Arizona Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and the first to be discovered by scientists. Although Uranus is visible to the naked eye, it was long mistaken as a star because of the planet’s dimness and slow orbit. The planet is also notable for its dramatic tilt, which causes its axis to point nearly directly at the sun. British astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus accidentally on March 13, 1781, with his telescope while surveying all stars down to those about 10 times dimmer than can be seen by the naked eye. One "star" seemed different, and within a year Uranus was shown to follow a planetary orbit. Uranuswas named after the Greek sky deity Ouranos, the earliest of the lords of the heavens. It is the only planet to be named after a Greek god rather than a Roman one. Before the name was settled on, many names had been proposed for the new planet , including Hypercronius ("above Saturn"), Minerva (the Roman goddess of wisdom), and Herschel, after its discoverer.

To flatter King George III of England, Herschel himself offered Georgium Sidus ("The Georgian Planet") as a name, but that idea was unpopular outside of England and George's native Hanover. German astronomer Johann Bode, who detailed Uranus' orbit, gave the planet its ultimate name. [ Related: How Do You Pronounce 'Uranus'? ] Physical characteristics Uranusis blue-green in color , the result of methane in its mostly hydrogen-helium atmosphere. The planet is often dubbed an ice giant, since 80 percent or more of its mass is made up of a fluid mix of water, methane, and ammonia ices. Unlike the other planets of the solar system, Uranus is tilted so far that it essentially orbits the sun on its side, with the axis of its spin nearly pointing at the star. This unusual orientation might be due to a collision with a planet-size body, or several small bodies , soon after it was formed.

This unusual tilt gives rise to extreme seasons roughly 20 years long, meaning that for nearly a quarter of the Uranian year, equal to 84 Earth-years, the sun shines directly over each pole, leaving the other half of the planet to experience a long, dark, cold winter. The magnetic poles of most planets are typically lined up with the axis along which it rotates, but Uranus' magnetic field is tilted, with its magnetic axis tipped over nearly 60 degrees from the planet's axis of rotation. According to Norman F. Ness, et al, in an article in the journal Science, this leads to a strangely lopsided magnetic field for Uranus, with the strength of the field at the northern hemisphere's surface being up to more than 10 times that of the strength at the southern hemisphere's surface, affecting the formation of the auroras . Orbital characteristics Average distance from the sun: 1,783,939,400 miles (2,870,972,200 kilometers).

By comparison: 19.191 times that of Earth Perihelion (closest approach to the sun): 1,699,800,000 miles (2,735,560,000 km). By comparison: 18.60 times that of Earth Aphelion (farthest distance from sun): 1,868,080,000 miles (3,006,390,000 km). By comparison: 19.76 times that of Earth Composition & structure Atmospheric composition (by volume): 82.5 percent hydrogen, 15.2 percent helium, 2.3 percent methane Magnetic field: Magnetic pole tilt compared to rotational axis: 58.6 degrees Composition: The overall composition of Uranus is, by mass, thought to be about 25 percent rock, 60 to 70 percent ice, and 5 to 15 percent hydrogen and helium.

Internal structure: Mantle of water, ammonia and methane ices; core of iron and magnesium-silicate Orbit & rotation Axial tilt: 97.77 degrees, compared to Earth's 23.5 degrees Seasonal cycle & length: Approximately 21 years per season Orbital period: Approximately 84 Earth years Uranus' climate The extreme axial tilt Uranus experiences can give rise to unusual weather. As sunlight reaches some areas for the first time in years, it heats up the atmosphere, triggering gigantic springtime storms roughly the size of North America, according to NASA. Ironically, when Voyager 2 first imaged Uranus in 1986 at the height of summer in its south, it saw a bland-looking sphere with only about 10 or so visible clouds, leading to it to be dubbed "the most boring planet," writes astronomer Heidi Hammel in "The Ice Giant Systems of Uranus and Neptune," a chapter in " Solar System Update " (Springer, 2007).

It took decades later, when advanced telescopes such as Hubble came into play and the seasons changed, to see extreme weather on Uranus , where fast-moving winds can reach speeds of up to 560 miles (900 kilometers) per hour. The rings of Uranus The rings of Uranus were the first to be seen after Saturn's. They were a significant discovery, because it helped astronomers understand that rings are a common feature of planets, not merely a peculiarity of Saturn. Uranus possesses two sets of rings . The inner system of rings consists mostly of narrow, dark rings, while an outer system of two more-distant rings, discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope, are brightly colored, one red, one blue . Scientists have now identified 13 known rings around Uranus. Uranus' moons Uranus has 27 known moons . Instead of being named after figures from Greek or Roman mythology, its first four moons were named after magical spirits in English literature, such as William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock." Since then, astronomers have continued this tradition, drawing names for the moons from the works of Shakespeare or Pope.

Oberon and Titania are the largest Uranian moons, and were the first to be discovered, by Herschel in 1787. William Lassell, who was the first to see a moon orbiting Neptune, discovered the next two, Ariel and Umbriel. Then nearly a century passed before Miranda was found in 1948. Then, Voyager 2 visited the Uranian system in 1986 and found an additional 10 , all just 16 to 96 miles (26-154 km) in diameter — Juliet, Puck, Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Desdemona, Portia, Rosalind, Cressida and Belinda — and each roughly made half of water ice and half of rock. Since then, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observatories have raised the total to 27 known moons, and spotting these was tricky — they are as little as 8 to 10 miles (12 to 16 km) across, blacker than asphalt, and nearly 3 billion miles (4.8 billion km) away.

Between Cordelia, Ophelia and Miranda is a swarm of eight small satellites crowded together so tightly that astronomers don't yet understand how the little moons have managed to avoid crashing into each other. Scientists suspect there might still be more moons, closer to Uranus than any known. In addition to moons, Uranus may also have a collection of Trojan asteroids — objects that share the same orbit as the planet — in a special region known as a Lagrangian point. The first was discovered in 2013 , despite claims that the planet’s Langrangian point would be too unstable to host such bodies. Research & exploration NASA's Voyager 2 was the first and as yet only spacecraft to visit Uranus. It discovered 10 previously unknown moons, and investigated its unusually tilted magnetic field. In 2013, the Planetary Science Decadal Survey recommended NASA consider a mission to the icy planet. Additional reporting by Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor The butt of solar system jokes, Uranus is also a spectacular blue planet still hiding many scientific secrets.

See how much you know: The Solar System: Jupiter | The Institute for Creation Research The Solar System: Jupiter Resources › Physical Sciences Resources › Astronomy The planet Jupiter is a wonderful example of the creativity of the Lord. It is remarkably different from the worlds we have examined previously in this Impact series. Jupiter does not possess a solid surface but is an enormous spheroid of gas—eleven times the diameter of Earth—held together by its own gravity. The gas pressure increases with depth, eventually becoming liquid. Properties of Jupiter The fifth planet away from the sun, Jupiter is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, the same gases that comprise the sun. However, the much cooler temperature of Jupiter allows the formation of molecules such as ammonia, water, and methane from various trace elements. These molecular compounds create Jupiter’s colorful cloud formations. Jupiter is massive—the equivalent of 318 Earths! If we could put it on a scale, it would weigh more than twice as much as all the other planets combined. Jupiter is so massive that its gravity slightly, but noticeably, affects the motions of the other planets. Astronomers must factor this into their computations when predicting the precise positions of planets.

Due to its large size, the disk of Jupiter is easily visible with virtually any small telescope, or even through good binoculars, despite being 500 million miles away from Earth. A number of Jupiter’s properties are consistent with its biblical age of about 6,000 years but are difficult to explain via frameworks that adhere to a multi-billion-year-old solar system. One of these is its strong magnetic field. Since magnetic fields naturally decay with time, it is hard to understand how Jupiter could maintain such a powerful field over billions of years. Another indication of youth is Jupiter’s internal heat. Jupiter emits nearly twice the amount of energy that it receives from the sun. Like popcorn fresh out of the microwave, planets gradually cool as they radiate heat into space. Jupiter is large enough to do this for thousands of years. But if it were really billions of years old, why hasn’t it cooled off by now? Views of Jupiter Jupiter is an ideal target for a small backyard telescope. The planet is easy to find because it is extremely bright—only Venus is brighter. Jupiter shines through the most light-polluted city skies and always puts on a good show, revealing detailed cloud features to viewers.

Powerful winds stretch the clouds into colorful “belts” and “zones” that encircle Jupiter parallel to its equator. Belts are the dark brownish-orange features and zones are lighter in color.1 Like Earth’s jet streams, these clouds mark the differential rotation of Jupiter’s atmosphere. Typically, the Northern and Southern Equatorial Belts that sandwich Jupiter’s equator are the most visible. But with larger telescopes under good viewing conditions, it is often possible to see several thinner belts and perhaps even small disturbances taking place within them. Unsurprisingly, these cloud formations are dynamic, changing from year to year, growing or shrinking slightly, and experiencing subtle changes in color. Occasionally, a belt disappears completely for some time. This happened to the Southern Equatorial Belt in 2010, radically changing the appearance of Jupiter until the belt returned in 2011. Since it never looks exactly the same way twice, Jupiter is always fun to watch. The Great Red Spot, a large, somewhat permanent feature just below Jupiter’s Southern Equatorial Belt, is of particular interest.

The Red Spot is a storm vortex, essentially a hurricane, roughly twice the width of Earth.2 Hurricanes on Earth are powered by warm ocean water and dissipate when they move over land. However, since Jupiter has no land, its Great Red Spot continues indefinitely. At least 349 years old, this magnificent storm was first discovered by Robert Hooke in 1664. Before this time, telescopes were not optically sufficient to discern such features, so the Red Spot may actually be much older. Despite its name, the Great Red Spot is currently more of an orange hue and its color changes with time. In the 1990s it had turned a light pink color, reducing its contrast and making it very difficult to see through backyard telescopes. Though it has darkened since then, the spot is not always easy to see. Since Jupiter rotates, the Great Red Spot is on the other side of the planet and impossible to see 50 percent of the time. But even when on the Earth-facing side of Jupiter, the Great Red Spot is hard to see near the limb (the edge of the disk).

The best view is when the spot is said to “transit” or pass near the horizontal center of the disk, an occurrence predictable up to a month or so in advance. Viewers can find upcoming transit times posted on various astronomy websites. Jupiter rotates in less than 10 hours—faster than any other planet. This rapid rotation, combined with the extraordinary size of Jupiter, causes the planet to bulge at the equator. Even through a decent backyard telescope it is clear that Jupiter is not exactly round. Such rapid rotation also means that if you view Jupiter twice in one evening separated by a couple of hours, you will get a different view on the second pass since Jupiter will have undergone one fifth of its rotation. The effect is particularly noticeable when the Red Spot is near Jupiter’s center. The Galilean Satellites Jupiter itself is wonderful to view in a small telescope, but the observer will also be struck by the presence of four beautiful, bright “stars” that are always near Jupiter and aligned with its equator. These are moons—natural satellites that orbit Jupiter.

They always appear in a nearly straight line because they orbit in the plane of Jupiter’s equator, and we see the Jupiter system from nearly edge-on; it is the same reason a Frisbee looks like a straight line when viewed from the side. These four moons are even bright enough to be seen in binoculars. They were the first moons discovered orbiting another planet, a discovery that changed our view of the universe. Before Galileo constructed his own telescope in 1609 and began peering into the heavens, no one had considered the possibility that other planets could have moons. As far as anyone knew, there was simply the moon that orbits Earth. At that time, most astronomers believed that everything orbited Earth, including the other planets and the sun—this is known as a geocentric view. When Galileo first pointed his telescope at Jupiter, he was delighted to discover four new worlds never before known by anyone other than God. What a moment that must have been!3 And by observing these moons night after night, he could clearly see that they were orbiting Jupiter. This strongly refuted the geocentric claim that everything must orbit around Earth.

Galileo had found a clear counterexample that paved the way for increased acceptance of the heliocentric solar system—the notion that planets, including Earth, orbit the sun.4 In honor of their discoverer, these four moons are now called the Galilean satellites. In order of increasing orbital distance from Jupiter, the Galilean satellites are named Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Unlike gaseous Jupiter, these moons are solid bodies composed of rock and ice. Jupiter and its moons are like a miniature solar system with the inner moons orbiting faster than the others. Io takes only 1.77 days to orbit Jupiter, and the orbital periods of Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are 3.55 days, 7.15 days, and 16.7 days respectively. Notice the pattern: Europa’s period is twice that of Io, and Ganymede’s period is twice that of Europa. This is an example of orbital resonance.5 Callisto alone is not in resonance. Using a small telescope, it is possible to actually see these moons orbiting over time.

If you made a careful mental note of the positions of the Galilean moons at a given moment and then looked again an hour later, you might notice that their locations appreciably changed. To see celestial objects change so drastically in such a short time is a rare delight. The Galilean moons are comparable in size to Earth’s moon. Io is 2,264 miles in diameter—only five percent larger than the moon. Europa is 10 percent smaller than our moon, and Callisto is 39 percent larger. Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system at 50 percent larger than Earth’s moon. Ganymede is even larger than the planet Mercury! So, if this moon orbited the sun directly instead of Jupiter, it would certainly be classified as a planet. Due to its larger surface area, Ganymede appears noticeably brighter than Io and Europa and slightly brighter than Callisto. Each of the Galilean satellites is an amazing world, but Io is the clear winner in terms of its unique qualities. High-resolution images of Io taken by the Voyager spacecrafts in 1979 revealed that, in contrast to all other known moons, this moon has absolutely no impact craters.

Instead, it is covered with sulfuric compounds that are responsible for its colorful surface. Volcanoes pervade the surface of Io. Some are even taller than Mount Everest. Eruptions are almost constant, repeatedly covering the surface with volcanic material and erasing any previous record of impact craters. Io is the most volcanically active world in the solar system. When Voyager 1 flew past Io, it detected nine volcanoes erupting simultaneously! The “gravitational stretching” occurring every 3.55 days, when Io passes between Jupiter and Europa, seems to provide the internal energy required for Io’s volcanism. More Moons and Rings Galileo’s telescope was quite small and limited—comparable to modern binoculars. In the centuries that followed, astronomers discovered many additional fainter, smaller moons with the aid of higher-quality telescopes and spacecraft. At latest count, Jupiter has 67 known moons—more than any other planet!6 Aside from the Galilean satellites, all these moons are very small, generally only a few miles across. Based on their orbital properties, these moons fall into eight natural groups. One group consists of the only four moons that are closer than the Galilean satellites to Jupiter.

The orbits of these inner moons and the orbits of the Galilean moons are nearly circular, are in the same plane as Jupiter’s equator, and are prograde, meaning they orbit in the same direction that Jupiter rotates.7 The next seven beyond Callisto are also prograde, but their orbits tend to be tilted substantially, relative to Jupiter’s equator, and are more elliptical than those of the inner moons. The remaining 52 moons also have tilted, elliptical orbits, but, amazingly, they are all retrograde—orbiting in the opposite direction of Jupiter’s rotation. So, the region where moons orbit in one direction is separate from the region where they orbit the other way. This reduces the possibility of collision or close gravitational perturbations.8 Jupiter also has a system of rings like Saturn that were first detected in 1979 by the Voyager 1 spacecraft. These rings are much less substantial than Saturn’s, however, and too faint to be seen with a backyard telescope. The main rings consist of dust particles orbiting mainly around and inside the orbit of Jupiter’s innermost moons, Metis and Adrastea. An even thinner “gossamer ring” extends farther out.

Conclusions Most of what we now know about this fascinating planet was hidden from humanity for thousands of years. To our distant ancestors, Jupiter was a bright point of light in our night sky. Who would have imagined that this bright “star” would have so many remarkable characteristics? And what other celestial secrets has the Lord hidden for us to find and cherish? References Belts are regions where we are able to see deeper into Jupiter’s atmosphere. Zones are lighter because they are clouds of ammonia that are higher in the atmosphere and block the brownish-orange color of the lower atmosphere. Hurricanes on Earth are low-pressure systems. The Red Spot in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere is a high-pressure system. For this reason, it rotates counterclockwise—in the opposite direction of hurricanes in Earth’s southern hemisphere (which rotate clockwise). Galileo published his discoveries in 1610 in a small, enjoyable book called The Starry Messenger. Galileo’s sense of wonder and excitement are obvious throughout. He knew that he was seeing something that no human being had ever seen—something that would forever change our perceptions of the solar system. Galileo challenged a number of the prevailing scientific views of the day.

Curiously, the Roman Catholic Church had largely adopted the mainstream scientific view of the day (geocentrism) and incorporated it into their theology. They even attempted to use poetic passages in Scripture, such as Psalm 93:1 , as evidence for geocentrism. However, such passages were ripped out of context. The psalmist is not addressing motion in the sense of Newtonian physics but rather the inescapable stability of the universe caused by the power of God. Many people think that the Galileo incident was an example of science prevailing over Scripture when in fact it was one view of science prevailing over another view that the Roman Catholic Church had endorsed. Perhaps the lesson to take away is that we should not tie the Bible to any specific scientific theory but instead let Scripture interpret Scripture. A resonance is when the ratio of two periods can be expressed as a simple fraction or integer, such as 1-to-1 or 3-to-4. In this case, the inner three Galilean moons have an orbital resonance of 4:2:1. That is, Io orbits four times for every two orbits of Europa and every one orbit of Ganymede.

In this Impact series, we first explored the concept of resonance in the article on Mercury in the August 2013 issue of Acts & Facts. Planets: Jupiter. Solar System Exploration. NASA. Posted on solarsystem.nasa.gov, accessed October, 2, 2013. Jupiter rotates counterclockwise as viewed from above its North Pole. When one massive object passes closely by another, their mutual gravity will affect their orbits. In some cases, this can result in one of the objects being ejected from the system. * Dr. Lisle is Director of Physical Sciences at the Institute for Creation Research and received his Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Colorado. Cite this article: Jason Lisle, Ph.D. 2013. The Solar System: Jupiter . Acts & Facts. 42 (12). Mercury In Roman mythology Mercury is the god of commerce, travel and thievery, the Roman counterpart of the Greek god Hermes, the messenger of the Gods. The planet probably received this name because it moves so quickly across the sky. Mercury has been known since at least the time of the Sumerians (3rd millennium BC).

The IAU changed the definition of "planet" so that Pluto no longer qualifies. There are officially only eight planets in our solar system. Of course this change in terminology does not affect what's actually out there. In the end, it's not very important how we classify the various objects in our solar system. What is important is to learn about their physical nature and their histories. Planet Order from the Sun; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune Our knowledge of our solar system is extensive but it is far from complete. Some of the worlds have never even been photographed up close. The Nine Planets is an overview of what we know today. We are still exploring, much more is still to come: We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. -- T. S. Eliot If the Moon were replaced with some of our planets - YouTube If the Moon were replaced with some of our planets Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented.

This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jan 10, 2013 New Video!: This is a visualization of what it might be like if the Moon was replaced with some of the other planets at the same distance as our moon In order show: Jupiter Saturn Mercury is intentionally left off as it isn't Much bigger than our Moon (and hence is boring) Everything is correctly scaled. The Axial tilts are not particularly accurate. the moon that flies in front of Saturn is Tethys. It is Tiny. but *very* close Dione would be on a collision course, it's orbital distance from Saturn is Nearly identical to our Moon's orbit around Earth Titan, which is Larger than our Moon, is outside the orbit of Dione **************** on Jupiter, you might be able to make out the 4 big moons, They all have orbits larger than our moons orbit. but I stuck them on the far side of jupiter so that they could be seen so it looks as if they are closer (to Jupiter) than they really are. *************** Video creation method I created an Earth Moon system in 3dsmax, with accurate sizes and accurate orbital distances..

I than matched video of the real Moon with my video camera, against my model. I also researched the correct FOV of my video camera. I used both methods to verify my Virtual camera's FOV (around 47 degrees). I next modeled up the rest of the planets in proper scale (Real values) set at the distance of the moon (also real values), created the animation of them rotating around, and composited the whole bunch.

*************** Neptune: 25,269 (equatorial) 24,340 (polar) Uranus: 25,559 (equatorial) 24,973 (polar) Jupiter: 71,490 (equatorial) 66,854 (polar) Saturn: 60,268 (equatorial) 54,360 (polar) (not including rings) Distance to Moon 384,000km Faq: (will expand as needed) 1, We would not be engulfed by Jupiter or any other planet, Jupiter's radius is 71,490 km and the distance to the Moon is 384,000km 2, Saturn is not larger than Jupiter. Saturn + RINGS is larger than Jupiter 3, We would suffer from really really horrible tides, and Volcanoes And some pretty bad Radiation from Jupiter. It *could* strip away our atmosphere, but haven't done the math. Eventually our planet would become tidally locked (that is the same side of Earth would always face Jupiter.

we would Still have some bad tides and volcanoes from being in a slightly ellipitical orbit, and from the other moons of Jupiter, and the Sun having tidal influence. I have not calculated how bad the Tides would be. A Simple guess would be at Least 300 times more exaggerated than they are now, This figure could be way off, it's simply an educated guess. 4, We would not be in the rings of Saturn. Or to rephrase that, we would not be in any of the Visable rings of Saturn, There are some very very faint rings that strech out far that we would be in, but i did not model them. 5, We would not be crushed by the Gravity of Jupiter, This is not how orbiting works!. However, at the Roche limit, we WOULD become a new ring system, The Roche limit is *about* 36,000km above the "surface" of Jupiter or 106,000km from the center of Jupiter. So, to reiterate if the center of Jupiter was 106,000km away from the center of the earth, Our planet would become a new Ring system of Jupiter.

6, I did not model the Ring of debris around Uranus (this faq will be deleted in a few days) 7, This is not an ad for any beer company, no one has endorsed me, or this animation, It's just the traffic that drove by. 8, There is Ring Shine on Saturn, but it is very faint, the Rings are reflecting light onto Saturn in the animation. The moon that flies by is Tethys 9, I love Pluto, and Mercury. They are left off because they are too small. Pluto is smaller than our Moon, and Mercury is not significantly larger than our Moon. 10, The "Sun" i used for lighting the planets is slightly off from reality, this was done so that they weren't totally dark and boring 11 FOV is about 47 degrees 12 Orbiting! Yes! we would be a moon of Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. They are much more massive than the Earth.

Venus is about the same size of the Earth and we would orbit around a center point between us 13 Rotation rates and axial tilts are not accurate to anything 14 Radius of the Sun is 695,500 km, and hence if it were where our Moon is, we would be engulfed by it Category Biggest Moons In Our Solar System - WorldAtlas.com Biggest Moons In Our Solar System At 5,262 kilometers in diameter, Jupiter's Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system. Ganymede is the biggest moon in the Solar System The moon is a solid natural object that orbits around a planet. It is a planet’s natural satellite. No definite scientific explanation has satisfactorily answered the question of how moons came into existence, although there are several theories. The Earth’s Moon was thought to be the only moon but after the invention of the telescope, other moons on other planets were discovered. Each planet has one or more moons except Mercury and Venus. Jupiter has 67 moons the highest number in the solar system. Technological advancements have made it possible for man to discover and even go on expeditions to the moon.

The biggest moons in our solar systems are: Ganymede Ganymede is by far the largest moon and orbits around planet Jupiter with a diameter of 5,262 kilometers. It is bigger in size than some of the planets like Mercury and Pluto and would have easily been classified as a planet if it was orbiting the sun. It has its own magnetic field. Its discovery was made by Galileo Galilei the Italian astronomer on January 7, 1610. The satellite orbits around Jupiter at a distance of 1,0700,400 km and takes 7.1 days to complete one orbit. The surface of Ganymede has two types of terrains. It consists of lighter, younger areas and a darker cratered region. The planet’s atmosphere is thin and has oxygen contained in dispersed molecules. Water ice and rocky material make up the planet, and it thought to have underground oceans. The name is derived from a prince in Greek mythology. Titan Titan Moon orbits Saturn and is the second largest moon with a diameter of 5,150 km. Christiaan Huygens a Dutch astronomer discovered this moon in 1655.

It has a dense atmosphere that is similar to that of Earth. 90% of the atmosphere is mostly nitrogen, and the rest is methane and small amounts of ammonia, argon, and ethane. It orbits around Saturn in 16 days. The moon has seas and lakes on its surface that are filled with liquid hydrocarbons. It is the only body other than the earth that has water bodies in our solar system. The name Titan is derived from Greek mythology about ancient gods called Titans. Ice and rocky materials make up most of Titan’s mass. Callisto Callisto Moon is the second largest moon that orbit planet Jupiter and the third largest moon among all. It has a diameter of 4,821 km and estimated to be 4.5 billion years old; its surface is mostly cratered. It has not had any geological activities for most of its existence. It was discovered by Galileo Galilei on January 7, 1610. Its name is derived from Greek mythology of a nymph called Callisto. It orbits Jupiter at an estimated distance of 1,882,700 km. Callisto takes 16.7 days to rotate on its axis and also orbit Jupiter.

It is the farthest moon from Jupiter, meaning it has not been largely affected by Jupiter’s magnetosphere. Water ice constitutes most of its mass and other materials such as magnesium and hydrated silicates. Callisto has a dark surface, and a salty sea is thought to lie underneath the surface. IO IO moon also orbits around planet Jupiter and has a diameter of 3,643 km. It is the fourth largest moon and was discovered by 1610 by Galileo Galilei. It is the most active body after Earth with volcanic activity. The surface of IO is mostly made of floodplains of liquid rock and lava lakes. It orbits at an estimated 422,000 km from Jupiter in 1.77 Earth-days and is the fifth moon of the planet Jupiter. The moon has a splotchy appearance of white, red, yellow, black, and orange. The atmosphere of IO mostly consists of Sulphur dioxide. It was named after a nymph called IO who was seduced by the gods Zeus in Greek mythology. Under the smooth surface of IO is a layer made of the iron core and an outer layer made of brown silicate.

Other big moons and the planets they orbit in include, The Earth’s Moon (3,475km), Europa, Jupiter (3,122km), Triton, Neptune (2,707km), Titania, Uranus (1,578km), Rhea, Saturn (1,529km) and Oberon, Saturn (1,523km). Most of the observations on these moons are done from the ground. Improved technology has helped scientists send man-made satellites to revolve around the solar system and enable the discovery of more information on these moons. Biggest Moons In Our Solar System Rank

Question: Cressida is a moon of which planet in the Solar System
Answer: Uranus